Department for Transport

Cycling and Walking: Greater Manchester

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will allocate funds to Transport for Greater Manchester to implement its Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan.

Jesse Norman: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 28 February 2019.The correct answer should have been:

The Government has allocated a total of £321.5 £312.5 million to Greater Manchester over the five-year period to 2022-23 as part of the Transforming Cities Fund. £160 million of this will help support the creation of a comprehensive cycling and walking network, informed by the Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan that is currently being developed by Transport for Greater Manchester.

Jesse Norman: The Government has allocated a total of £321.5 £312.5 million to Greater Manchester over the five-year period to 2022-23 as part of the Transforming Cities Fund. £160 million of this will help support the creation of a comprehensive cycling and walking network, informed by the Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan that is currently being developed by Transport for Greater Manchester.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Dame Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 26 February 2019 to Question 226005, High Speed 2 Railway Line, how much has been disbursed from the public purse on fees and disbursements to the barristers chambers referred to in relation to HS2 matters.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: It would involve the Department in disproportionate cost to identify the fees paid to the named barristers specifically for HS2 matters.

East Anglia Railway Line: Compensation

Will Quince: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when Delay Repay 15 will be introduced on the Great Eastern Mainline.

Andrew Jones: As announced on 12 March, Commercial terms have now been agreed and Delay Repay 15 will go live on Greater Anglia on 1st April.

Heathrow Airport: Railways

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answers of 13 February 2019 to Questions 218813 and 218814, what estimate his Department has made of the journey times to Heathrow Airport from stations in the London Borough of Sutton after the opening of a Southern Rail Link.

Andrew Jones: A new Southern rail link to Heathrow forms part of our long term aspiration to make travelling to and from the airport quicker and easier for millions of air travellers and we recognise the benefit that new connectivity can provide. This project is in the early stages of development and stopping patterns and therefore journey times are not yet known at this stage.

Department for Transport: Procurement

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the guidance entitled, Procurement policy note 03/14: promoting tax compliance, how many suppliers were allocated contracts by his Department as a result of complying with (a) one and (b) more than one of the mitigating circumstances after failing the tax compliance questions.

Jesse Norman: The Department does not centrally record details of how many suppliers were allocated contracts as a result of complying with (a) one and (b) more than one of the mitigating circumstances after failing the tax compliance questions

London Overground: Tickets

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 4 March 2019 to Question 226511, whether London Overground has submitted proposals to close ticket offices at any of its stations.

Andrew Jones: Arriva Rail London (ARL), the train operating company responsible for running the London Overground network under a concession agreement with Transport for London, has proposed to close the ticket offices at 51 London Overground stations in accordance with Schedule 17 of the Ticketing and Settlement Agreement (TSA). Under the TSA process it is for ARL and London TravelWatch to seek to reach agreement on the proposals.

Southern

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what proportion of trains have run without second member of staff for (a) all and (b) part of the service on GTR Southern Railway services in (a) 2016, (b) 2017 and (c) 2018.

Andrew Jones: Driver Controlled Operation (DCO) was rolled out on Southern from January 2017. Operationally this means that drivers open and close the doors of the train – a modern and safe way of working. What this means for passengers is that they now have dedicated customer service staff (an on-board supervisor, or OBS) on every train that previously had a conductor. Should an OBS - at short notice - not be able to meet the train, then the train is no longer cancelled, as it would have been with a conductor. In 2016, no Southern services ran without a scheduled second member of staff on board. However, 8,119 trains were cancelled in 2016 because there was no conductor. This is because trains which are scheduled to run with a conductor cannot be run without a second qualified person on board. In 2017, 1.6% of Southern services scheduled to run with an OBS ran without an OBS for their whole journey, and 2.2% ran without an OBS for part of their journey. In 2018, 0.4% of Southern services scheduled to run with an OBS ran without an OBS for their whole journey, and 1.0% ran without an OBS for part of their journey. In the figures for January and February 2019, 0.1% of Southern services scheduled to run with an OBS ran without an OBS for their whole journey, and 0.5% ran without an OBS for part of their journey.

Roads: Nottinghamshire

Ben Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much funding has been allocated to (a) Mansfield and (b) Nottinghamshire from the Pothole Action Fund in each year since that fund's inception.

Jesse Norman: Nottinghamshire County Council, as local highway authority, is responsible for the maintenance and improvement of the local road network, including for the Mansfield constituency. The funding allocated to Nottinghamshire County Council by the Department for Transport from the Pothole Action Fund, since its inception, is shown in the table below. YearPothole Action Fund £m2016/170.8392017/181.9892018/190.839Total3.667

Roads: Accidents

Sir Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many people were killed or seriously injured on the roadside when they were in the presence of a stationary vehicle using a warning beacon emitting a flashing red light in each of the last three years for which data is available.

Sir Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many people were killed or seriously injured on the roadside when they were in the presence of a stationary vehicle using a warning beacon emitting flashing an amber light in each of the last 10 years for which data is available.

Sir Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many people were killed or seriously injured working alongside a stationary vehicle using a flashing amber warning beacon permitted for the purpose of (a) collecting refuse, (b) road clearance, (c) inspecting, cleansing, maintaining, adjusting, renewing or installing any apparatus which is in, on, under or over a road, (d) testing, maintaining, improving, cleansing or watering roads and (e) surveying in each of the last 10 years for which data is available; and if he will make a statement.

Jesse Norman: The Department does not collect data on whether people killed or seriously injured were alongside or in the presence of a stationary vehicle using a warning beacon emitting a flashing light and for what purpose.

Roads: Horse Riding

Chris Elmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has had recent discussions with the Welsh Government on the safety of horse riders on UK roads; and if he will make a statement.

Jesse Norman: The Secretary of State has not had recent discussions with the Welsh Government on this matter. The Government recognises that horse riders are vulnerable road users. As part of the current Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy (CWIS) Safety Review, The Highway Code will be reviewed to help keep cyclists, pedestrians and horse riders safe on the roads. The full scope of review has yet to be determined but, in accordance with normal practice, it will be conducted in consultation with all relevant stakeholders, including the Welsh Government.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Scottish Limited Partnerships: Ownership

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many Scottish Limited Partnerships have not registered a Person of Significant Control.

Kelly Tolhurst: Holding answer received on 11 March 2019



I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to her on 11th March 2019 to Question 226693.

Scottish Limited Partnerships: Ownership

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the value was of fines levied against Scottish Limited Partnerships for failing to register a Person of Significant Control in each of the last three years.

Kelly Tolhurst: Holding answer received on 11 March 2019



I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to her on 4th December 2018 to Question 193520.

Scottish Limited Partnerships: Ownership

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many Scottish Limited Partnerships are qualifying partnerships under the terms of the Scottish Partnerships (Register of People with Significant Control) Regulations 2017 and the Companies and Partnerships (Accounts and Audit) Regulations 2013.

Kelly Tolhurst: Holding answer received on 11 March 2019



As of 28 February 2019, there are 33,579 Scottish Limited Partnerships (SLPs) registered with Companies House. All registered SLPs are eligible under the terms of the Scottish Partnerships (Register of People with Significant Control) Regulations 2017. The above regulations also require a Scottish qualifying partnership (SQP) to register with Companies House and deliver information concerning its People with Significant Control (PSC). An SQP is a general partnership constituted under the law of Scotland that is a qualifying partnership under the Partnership (Accounts) Regulations 2008. On 28 February 2019, 369 bodies had declared as being eligible as SQPs and delivered PSC information to Companies House. The Government published, on 10 December 2018, the response to its consultation on the reform of limited partnership law. The reforms, which include tighter registration requirements, seek to tackle the misuse of limited partnerships, especially Scottish limited partnerships, while modernising the law governing them. The Government intends to legislate when parliamentary time allows.

Business: Government Assistance

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what support he plans to provide to businesses to help with the UK leaving the EU.

Kelly Tolhurst: The Government provides a range of business finance measures aimed at supporting SMEs to do business in the UK. Through our industrial strategy, we are currently taking action to reduce the costs of doing business, including cutting corporation tax to 19%, linking business rate increases to the Consumer Price Index (CPI) 2 years earlier than planned, and exempting micro businesses from regulations where possible.The British Business Bank is also currently delivering more than £5.9 billion of finance to over 82,000 smaller businesses in the UK, and since 2012, the Start-Up Loans programme has lent over £468m to nearly 61,000 entrepreneurs. At Budget 2018, the Start-up Loans programme was extended by one year to April 2021 meaning that another 10,000 loans will be made to entrepreneurs.Further, the British Business Bank is increasing deployment of its Enterprise Finance Guarantee loan-guarantee scheme, which has headroom to double commitments from current levels (around £200-220m this year) without further funding and through existing and new delivery partners under existing approvals, subject to demand.

Parental Leave: Childbirth

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 28 February 2019 to Question 225613, on Parental Leave: Childbirth, whether his Department plans to say more about next steps by 30 April 2019.

Kelly Tolhurst: Holding answer received on 11 March 2019



The preliminary work on the internal review of the provisions for parents of premature, sick and multiple babies was recently completed and officials have identified potential areas for further work and options for taking this forward. I expect to be in a position to say more about this in due course.

Living Wage: Young People

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if his Department will undertake an economic impact assessment on the potential merits of extending the national living wage to employees under the age of 25.

Kelly Tolhurst: The Government is committed to building an economy that works for everyone, including young people. About 350,000 workers under the age of 25 are expected to benefit from inflation-beating increases in the National Minimum Wage rates in April 2019. For those young workers, the rates are set as high as possible without damaging their employment prospects, drawing upon advice from the independent Low Pay Commission. The priority is to help them secure work and gain experience and the evidence shows that it is working. The unemployment rate for people aged 16 to 24 is 11.8%, down from 20% in 2010. However, it is still above the unemployment rate for people aged 25 or over (less than 3%), which demonstrates the need to give young people support in getting on the career ladder. The Government notes the Low Pay Commission’s intention to review whether the current structure of the National Minimum Wage rates remains fit for purpose, and it will carefully consider its recommendations which are due later this year.

Post Offices: Closures

Laura Pidcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many Post Office branches have closed in (a) North West Durham constituency, (b)the North East and (c) the UK since 2010.

Laura Pidcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many post office branches have been relocated into retail premises in (a) North West Durham, (b) North East England and (c) the UK since 2010.

Kelly Tolhurst: Holding answer received on 11 March 2019



The Government values and recognises the important role that the Post Office plays in North West Durham and other communities across the North East and the UK. This is why we committed in our 2017 Manifesto to safeguard the Post Office network and protect existing rural services. This strategy, backed by Government investment of over £2 billion since 2010, has delivered a branch network that is at its most stable and accessible in decades, with over 11,500 branches. The Post Office reports annually on the size and shape of the network; the most recent report can be found at http://corporate.postoffice.co.uk/modernising-post-office. The report shows the number of branches in the network so that the change can be seen year onyear. The information requested is set out below. The vast majority of the Post Office network is operated on an agency/franchise basis with branches located in retail premises. The figures show the number of Directly Managed Branches operated by the Post Office and the number of Agency branches. Number of open post offices in 2010 Directly Managed Branches Agency branches Total branches North West Durham Constituency12930North East Government Office Region10481491UK3731153211905  Number of open post offices in 2018 Directly Managed Branches Agency branches Total branches North West Durham Constituency12930North East Government Office Region6484490UK2621128511547 Source: Post Office Limited

Public Houses: Codes of Practice

Chris Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether tenants will be fully consulted as part of the review into the Pubs Code.

Kelly Tolhurst: The Government is currently considering the format of the statutory review and will ensure all those with an interest, including tenants and pub companies, have an opportunity to contribute fully to the review.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Azza Soliman

Laura Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his Egyptian counterpart on the detention of Egyptian human rights activist Azza Soliman; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: ​We have followed Azza Soliman's case closely, as well as the related Foreign Funding case. We understand that Ms Soliman was released on bail, pending further investigation, in December 2016. On 6 December 2017, Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon highlighted Ms Soliman's case in his speech at an Amnesty International Human Rights Day event. UK officials raised the Foreign Funding case with the Egyptian Assistant Foreign Minister for Human Rights on 18 April 2018. On 18 September 2018, we made a statement at the UN Human Rights Council in which we expressed concern about the "arrests of activists, bloggers and journalists". Our Embassy in Cairo continues to be in regular contact with Ms Soliman.

Venezuela: Military Intervention

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his counterpart in the US Administration on the possibility of military intervention in Venezuela by outside forces.

Sir Alan Duncan: ​We discuss a wide range of issues with the US, including Venezuela, and it was a key focus when the Foreign Secretary visited Washington in January. Those discussions have not touched on possible military intervention.

Middle East: Peace Negotiations

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether it remains his Department’s policy to convene a summit of European and Arab foreign ministers to discuss the US Administration's proposed peace plan for that region.

Alistair Burt: ​We have no plans to convene a summit to discuss the Middle East Peace Process. We continue to encourage the US Administration to bring forward detailed proposals for a viable Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement that addresses the legitimate concerns of both parties. We are also in regular conversations with partners about the best way to advance prospects for peace.

Middle East: Peace Negotiations

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the US Administration has provided his Department with the Administration's draft proposals for a Middle East peace plan.

Alistair Burt: ​We continue to discuss US Middle East peace efforts with the US Administration, including the Foreign Secretary with Jared Kushner on 13 February. We have encouraged the US Administration to bring forward detailed proposals for a viable Israel-Palestinian peace agreement that addresses the legitimate concerns of both parties. We continue to believe the best way to achieve this is through substantive peace talks between the parties leading to a two-state solution.

Middle East: Peace Negotiations

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he considers it (a) accurate and (b) acceptable that the United States administration has still not shared the draft proposals in its Middle East Peace Plan with the governments of (a) France and (b) Germany.

Alistair Burt: ​We welcome the further information provided by the US at the Warsaw Summit, held on 13-14 February, on the timing for its plan, and hope this will set out detailed proposals for a viable Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement that addresses the legitimate concerns of both parties. We look forward to seeing and discussing the details with the US and other partners in due course, and welcome the emphasis the US has rightly put on wanting to take a genuinely collaborative approach with key partners.

Slovenia: Foreign Relations

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has plans to issue a formal apology to the Government of Slovenia for describing that country as a former Soviet vassal state.

Sir Alan Duncan: ​The Foreign Secretary’s point was that Slovenia has carved an impressive path since independence, that we are proud to work together as partners, and we look forward to continuing that partnership post Brexit. He had a positive meeting with President Pahor on 27 February, during his recent visit to the UK, covering this as well other topics, including Brexit, bilateral links and our future relationship.

Iran: Cruise Missiles

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his Iranian counterparts on their recent testing of submarine-based cruise missile technology.

Alistair Burt: ​We have consistently expressed our deep concerns about Iran's missile activities with the Government of Iran. I have raised these issues directly with the Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, and the Foreign Secretary raised the issue with Foreign Minister Zarif in Tehran on 19 November. We have also highlighted our concerns in joint letters with France and Germany to the UN Secretary General.

Iran: Nuclear Weapons

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what diplomatic steps he is taking to prevent Iran from producing nuclear-armed warheads that can be carried by that country's submarine-based cruise missiles.

Alistair Burt: ​The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA), agreed in July 2015, verifiably ensures that Iran is not able to produce a nuclear weapon, and as such is the best means of neutralising the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran. Iran is abiding by its commitments under the deal, as confirmed by the International Atomic Energy Agency in each of its reports, the most recent of which was produced on 22 February. We are working closely with our partners to maintain the JCPoA, including through ensuring Iran continues to meet its nuclear commitments in full.

Iraq: Peace Negotiations

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he has made an assessment of the effectiveness of his Department's programme to involve religious minorities in reconciliation programmes in Iraq; and whether he has plans to extend those reconciliation programmes to religious minorities in other countries.

Alistair Burt: The UK is supporting the development of inclusive and representative reconciliation processes, involving religious minorities, at both national and community levels in Iraq, through the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund. We have also contributed £23.15m to the UNDP Funding Facility for Stabilisation, which is helping to develop inclusive local governance. To date, while each project is subject to regular monitoring, we have made no assessment of the overall impact on reconciliation. Effective reconciliation programmes are context-specific so we do not plan to extend the specific initiatives in Iraq to other countries, but we continue to learn lessons from our programmes and apply those to future initiatives.

Kurds and Syria: Human Rights

Chris Law: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has received from his counterparts in (a) the European Commission and (b) EU member states on human rights abuses against the (i) Syrian and (ii) Kurdish people.

Alistair Burt: ​We are in regular dialogue with the European Commission and other member states on the human rights situation in Syria, including coordinating with them on human rights resolutions on Syria at the UN Human Rights Council and at the UN General Assembly. We have received no representations from the European Commission or EU member states on human rights abuses against the Syrian people or the Kurdish minority in Syria or elsewhere.

Zimbabwe: Foreign Relations

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his Department maintains an ongoing dialogue with the Vice-President of Zimbabwe; and what representations his Department has made to the Vice-President of Zimbabwe on the January 2019 violence in that country.

Harriett Baldwin: The UK meets regularly with the full range of stakeholders in Zimbabwe from across the political spectrum including members of the ruling and opposition parties, judiciary and civil society. British Embassy officials last met with Vice President Chiwenga in September 2018.We have made our views clear to the Government of Zimbabwe following the January 2019 violence. Her Majesty's Ambassador to Zimbabwe last met Foreign Minister Moyo on 20 February and I spoke to him on 30 January. I reinforced our calls on the Government of Zimbabwe to investigate all allegations of human rights violations and urged them to follow the due process of law for all those arrested in connection to January's protests.

Sayed Alwadaei

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his Bahraini counterpart on the recent upholding of the convictions against relatives of the wife of Mr Sayed Alwadaei, the Director of Advocacy of the London-based Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy.

Alistair Burt: We are aware of and continue to monitor the cases raised in your question. Officials from our Embassy in Manama attended the court session for the individuals in question. We have raised these cases at a senior level with the Government of Bahrain.​

Nabeel Rajab

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his Bahraini counterpart on the case of the human rights activist Nabeel Rajab.

Alistair Burt: As the statement I released on 21 February made clear, we are concerned by the five year sentence handed to Mr Rajab. We have raised the case at the highest levels with the Government of Bahrain. We continue to encourage the Government of Bahrain to protect freedom of expression for all of its citizens, in line with its international obligations.​

Ahmed Mansoor

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his Emirati counterpart on the recent upholding of the conviction and ten-year sentence against human rights activist Ahmed Mansoor.

Alistair Burt: My officials have raised the case of Ahmed Mansoor with their Emirati counterparts at the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Similarly, in coordination with my officials and other EU member states, the EU delegation to the UAE has raised the case with Emirati officials.

Middle East: EU Nationals

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his European counterparts on the future of EU citizens in Iraq and Syria who had previously lived in territory controlled by Daesh.

Alistair Burt: ​We are in regular dialogue with our European partners, including in the framework of meetings of the European Union and of the Global Coalition against Daesh, about the situation of citizens who travelled to Syria or Iraq for the purposes of supporting Daesh.

Iran: Demonstrations

Dr Dan Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his Iranian counterpart on reports that crowds chanted death to Theresa May and called for the destruction of Israel and America during a rally to mark the 40th anniversary of the Islamic revolution.

Alistair Burt: Such rhetoric during public rallies is unhelpful, as I said during the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Oral Questions on 26 February 2019. However, it is not the business of the FCO to interfere in the public debate in other countries and no such representations have been made.

Yemen: Armed Conflict

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his Saudi Arabian and Emirati counterparts on their reported recruitment and deployment of children from Sudan to take part in ground combat operations in the conflict in Yemen.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what estimate his Department has made of the number of children from Sudan that have been recruited by Saudi Arabian and Emirati forces and deployed in combat operations in the conflict in Yemen.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the telecommunications equipment reportedly used by Saudi Arabian and Emirati forces to direct the operations of Sudanese child soldiers deployed in combat operations in the conflict in Yemen was (a) supplied by UK companies and (b) authorised for export by the UK government.

Alistair Burt: I refer the Honourable Lady to the answers I gave to questions 228118 and 228119. We are firmly committed to ending the recruitment and use of child soldiers and to protecting all children affected by armed conflict.We raise allegations of human rights abuses, including the use of child soldiers, with all parties to the conflict in Yemen. We have been clear that all parties must comply with International Humanitarian Law. We do not hold any specific information relating to the number of child soldiers of Sudanese origins who have been involved in the conflict.​

Democratic Republic of Congo: Elections

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the UK Government plans to follow the actions of US State Department and refuse visa applications to five individuals accused of involvement in significant corruption of the election process in the Democratic Republic of Congo; and what other steps he plans to take in respect of those individuals.

Harriett Baldwin: The UK implements sanctions alongside the European Union as an EU Member State. As part of this, the UK implements sanctions against a number of individuals in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). These sanctions are aimed at figures involved in serious human rights abuses. New and existing sanctions regimes are reviewed regularly. Prior to the recent elections in the DRC, the EU and Member States committed to re-examining sanctions in view of the elections, and this will include an assessment of whether further sanctions should be applied in due course.

Abbas al-Hassan

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his counterpart in Saudi Arabia on the case of Abbas al-Hassan and his co-defendants and the Government's opposition to their execution since the beginning of 2019.

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has received any assurances from the Government of Saudi Arabia that Abbas al-Hassan and his co-defendants will not be executed.

Alistair Burt: We are closely monitoring these cases. We regularly raise our human rights concerns with the Saudi Arabian authorities using a range of Ministerial and diplomatic channels of communication, including our Ambassador. It is a longstanding policy of the British Government to oppose the death penalty, in all circumstances, as a matter of principle.​

Malta: Politics and Government

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the validity of the findings of the Council of Europe Venice Commission Opinion on Constitutional Arrangements and Separation of Powers and the Independence of the Judiciary and Law Enforcement in Malta.

Sir Alan Duncan: ​I welcome the Government of Malta's engagement with rapporteurs from the Council of Europe's Venice Commission who visited Malta in November 2018, and Malta's acceptance of the Commission's findings. We encourage Prime Minister Muscat's Government to draw on the Venice Commission's offer of advice and expertise, as Europe's chief advisory body on constitutional law, to implement their recommendations. The UK stands ready to assist Malta to advance its law reform agenda in any way we can.

Diplomatic Service: British Nationals Abroad

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what estimate his Department has made of the number of UK citizens that have been offered diplomatic protection by the UK in each year since 2010.

Alistair Burt: ​On 7 March, the Foreign Secretary decided that the UK will exercise diplomatic protection in the case of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe as part of the British Government’s continuing efforts to secure her release. This represents formal recognition by the Government that her treatment fails to meet Iran’s obligations under international law and elevates it to a formal State to State issue. Diplomatic protection is rarely used. There were no other cases where the UK exercised diplomatic protection between 2010 and 2018.

Burkina Faso: Politics and Government

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the security situation in Burkina Faso; and if he will make a statement.

Harriett Baldwin: ​We are deeply concerned about the deteriorating security situation in Burkina Faso, particularly as violence spreads from the north to the east and south-west of the country. The UK does not have an Embassy in Burkina Faso but we are providing approximately £4.5m in humanitarian assistance to ICRC, World Food Programme (WFP) and UNICEF to provide basic assistance to people affected by conflict and food insecurity. We are also tackling the regional drivers of instability which impact on Burkina Faso, including encouraging faster progress in the Mali peace process, and supporting France's Operation Barkhane, the UN peacekeeping mission MINUSMA, and the G5 Sahel Joint Force.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Official Hospitality

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the Answer of 7 February 2019 to Question 215122 on Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Official Hospitality, for what purpose his Department organised the (a) Patient Safety Conference Reception and the (b) St David's Day Reception.

Sir Alan Duncan: Government Hospitality organised the Patient Safety Conference reception, hosted by the Secretary of State for Health on behalf of the Department of Health who also paid for the event. Similarly, Protocol Directorate was engaged to organise the St David's Day reception hosted by the First Minister on behalf of the Welsh Government, who also paid for the reception.

Northern Ireland Office

Brexit: Northern Ireland

Conor McGinn: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to the Answer of 19 June 2018 to Question 153188 on Common Travel Area, for what reason the reciprocal voting rights for Irish citizens do not cover referendums; and what assessment she has made of the implications of that for Irish citizens in Northern Ireland in relation to any border poll conducted under schedule 1 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998.

Karen Bradley: The voting rights which will continue to be enjoyed by British and Irish citizens are reciprocal. British citizens may vote in local and parliamentary elections in Ireland but not Presidential elections or referendums. This reciprocal right is reflected in the voting rights of Irish citizens living in the United Kingdom. I continue to believe that a majority in Northern Ireland favour Northern Ireland's place in the United Kingdom. The test for a border poll set out in the 1998 Northern Ireland Act has therefore not been met.

Department of Health and Social Care

Carers

Laura Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Government is taking to help ensure the safety of people procuring services of self-employed carers.

Caroline Dinenage: Many people procure the services of self-employed carers via their social care personal budget. A personal budget is an agreed amount of money allocated by a local authority to an individual receiving care, following an assessment of their care and support need. Personal budgets enable individuals to purchase care services from a provider of their choice, in line with their agreed care plan. This may include employing self-employed carers such as personal assistants. Regulations do not require personal assistants to be registered with the Care Quality Commission. Local authorities are required to provide the level of support the individual wants when purchasing any care. There is much advice and published guidance already available to support individuals when making decisions on procuring services of self-employed carers; for example, encouraging individuals who employ self-employed carers to consider asking for Disclosure and Barring Service checks, prior to employment. We have also commissioned Skills for Care and Think Local Act Personal to produce a range of additional support materials for those requiring care.

Medical Treatments: Prices

Laura Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps has he taken to ensure that medicines developed from public research are (a) accessible and (b) affordable.

Steve Brine: The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) provides support for the development of new drugs, medical devices, diagnostics and treatments, primarily through its investment in research infrastructure in the National Health Service and through a range of research funding programmes. NIHR-supported research supports the early translational and clinical development of new medicines and generates high quality evidence which is made available to inform decisions about the NHS and patients on the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of medicines, including through National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance. NICE technology appraisal guidance, and the associated funding requirement, play an important role in ensuring that patients have access to cost-effective new medicines, including medicines developed from public research. NICE assesses important new medicines through a robust evaluation process. The Accelerated Access Review made recommendations to get transformative drugs and treatments to patients faster, while ensuring that the NHS gets value for money and remains at the forefront of innovation. We have also formed the Accelerated Access Collaborative to accelerate patient access to high performing innovations that meet NHS needs. The NHS is required by law to ensure that medicines recommended by NICE are routinely funded within three months, ensuring patient access to cost-effective medicines in England. There is no explicit link between the terms of NIHR research grants and the price the NHS pays for medicines. The Department ensures that branded medicines remain affordable to the NHS through two pricing schemes. One is the 2019 Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing and Access (2019 Voluntary Scheme) and the other is the statutory scheme set out in legislation.

Horses: Slaughterhouses

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 10 October 2018 to Question 174614  on Horses: Slaughterhouses, how many soliped and equidae were slaughtered in 2018; and how many of those soliped and equidae carried passports issued by Weatherbys.

Steve Brine: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is responsible for the delivery of official controls in approved meat establishments (slaughterhouses, cutting plants and game handling establishments) subject to veterinary control within the United Kingdom. The FSA records the number of soliped and equidae that are slaughtered. In 2018 2,618 soliped and equidae were slaughtered in FSA approved premises, of which 447 had passports issued by Weatherbys. It should be noted that Weatherbys passport numbers include Weatherbys, Weatherbys Thoroughbred, Weatherbys Ireland and Weatherbys Irish.

Healthy Start Scheme and School Milk

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 30 April 2018 to Question 140109 on Healthy Start and Nursery Milk schemes, how much funding his Department allocated to the (a) Healthy Start scheme and (b) Nursery Milk Scheme in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12, (iii) 2017-18 and (iv) 2018-19.

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much funding his Department has allocated to healthy start welfare foods payments in each year since 2012-13.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Healthy Start and Nursery Milk schemes are demand led statutory schemes. This means that the Department must meet expenditure arising from legitimate claims made in line with the legislation. Funding is allocated to the schemes to meet the actual demand, rising or falling in line with the overall uptake for each scheme, and the Government works to ensure that eligible people are aware of the schemes and how they can benefit from them. The funding allocated to the schemes is accounted for through a single cost centre with total costs is shown in the following table. A split by individual scheme is not available in the format requested. Total2010 - 2011£133,996,8662011 - 2012£139,569,2142012 - 2013£141,366,3392013 - 2014£137,790,2122014 - 2015£128,904,3792015 - 2016£124,890,6492016 - 2017£112,556,8702017 - 2018£104,709,791 Audited spend data for the 2018-19 financial year is not yet available.

Obesity: Children

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many children aged (a) four to five and (b) 10 to 11 years were recorded as obese in (i) England, (ii) each English region and (iii) each London borough in each year since 2010-11.

Steve Brine: Data on the number of children recorded as obese in England, each region and each London Borough aged four to five years and aged 10 to 11 years, are attached.



PQ228739 attached table
(Word Document, 25 KB)




PQ228739 attached table
(Word Document, 25.62 KB)

Life Expectancy: West Midlands

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of trends in the level of life expectancy in (a) Coventry South, (b) Coventry and (c) the West Midlands since 2010.

Steve Brine: The Office for National Statistics data show that life expectancy at birth for males in Coventry and the West Midlands was higher in 2015-17 than in 2010-12. In Coventry it increased by 0.4 years to 78.3 years, and in the West Midlands it increased by 0.2 years to 78.8 years. Life expectancy at birth for females in Coventry and the West Midlands was also higher in 2015-17 than in 2010-12. In Coventry it increased by 0.4 years to 82.4 years, and in the West Midlands it increased by 0.1 years to 82.7 years. For both areas, life expectancy was higher in 2015-17 than in 2010-12, but there was some fluctuation in the trend between these two time points. Only male life expectancy at birth in the West Midlands was statistically significantly higher in 2015-17, compared with 2010-12. The latest life expectancy data can be viewed at the following link: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/healthandlifeexpectancies/datasets/lifeexpectancyatbirthandatage65bylocalareasuk Life expectancy figures for the parliamentary constituency of Coventry South are not available.

NHS: Drugs

Anne Marie Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he will report to Parliament annually on the operation of the Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing and Access; and whether such reporting will extend to the operation of the statutory pricing scheme.

Steve Brine: The Department has agreed that the 2019 Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing and Access will be subject to regular six-monthly reviews and a mid-scheme review with all parties to the agreement expected to attend. The Department already produces quarterly reports on the operation of the voluntary and statutory schemes and this is set to continue. The relevant statutory scheme regulations require an annual review of the scheme, which will be made available to Parliament on an annual basis.

Accelerated Access Collaborative

Anne Marie Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress has been made on increasing NHS uptake of innovations prioritised by the Accelerated Access Collaborative; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Dinenage: In October 2018, the Accelerated Access Collaborative (AAC) announced it had selected the first set of 12 products to receive rapid uptake support. Selected across seven technology areas, these innovations have the potential to benefit 500,000 patients and to achieve National Health Service savings of up to £30 million. Over the last few months, the AAC has made good progress on developing plans to tackle the barriers to the uptake of these products in the National Health Service. The AAC has worked with clinicians, innovators, the Royal Colleges and health system delivery partners to develop bespoke support packages for each product. Increased uptake will be supported by up to £2 million through the Pathway Transformation Fund, which will be directed at the barriers to use in the NHS. The Academic Health Science Networks will be a key national delivery partner, helping us to maximise appropriate use of the AAC products. The AAC will meet next week to discuss progress with the support packages and delivery plans.

NHS: Drugs

Anne Marie Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether, as a result of the 2019 Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing and Access, he has plans to review the role and scope of the Accelerated Access Collaborative.

Caroline Dinenage: Improving the innovation ecosystem in the United Kingdom is key to delivering maximum benefits to patients, the National Health Service and wider economy. The 2019 Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing and Access and the Accelerated Access Collaborative (AAC) are key elements in making the NHS one of the most pro-innovation health systems. The NHS Long Term Plan and the Second Life Sciences Sector Deal both committed to expanding the AAC to become the umbrella organisation for health innovation. It will set the strategy and priorities for a more effective innovation ecosystem, including streamlining and simplifying the funding and support landscape for the NHS and innovators. The 2019 Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing and Access and expanded remit of the AAC are complementary, and share commitments to supporting innovation, improving horizon scanning and improving patient access to the best value innovations.

Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing and Access

Anne Marie Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans are in place with respect to section 3.54 of the 2019 Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing and Access on UK data infrastructure.

Steve Brine: As set out in the Long Term Plan, the National Health Service in England is committed to improving the data infrastructure and data analytics in the NHS in both primary and secondary care over the next 10 years. This will support the improvement of the quality, safety and efficiency of NHS services, as well as providing a world class environment for clinical research. Higher quality data can also enable the NHS to improve the evidence for clinically and cost-effective medicines and support better value for medicines spend, as demonstrated by the Cancer Drugs Fund. Implementation of the ambitions set out in the Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing and Access, and the NHS Long Term Plan, will build on the work of the Global Digital Exemplars and will be supported by Digital Innovation Hubs.

Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing and Access

Anne Marie Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that payments under the 2019 Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing and Access are used to increase access to medicines that are recognised by NICE as (a) cost and (b) clinically effective.

Steve Brine: Payments made by companies who are members of the 2019 Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing and Access are made to the Department. The Department then allocates the payments across the National Health Service in the United Kingdom. It is for the NHS in England and the devolved administrations to make decisions in the best interest of their patients to ensure access to the medicines they need. NHS commissioners are legally required to make funding available for drugs and other treatments recommended in National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) technology appraisal and highly specialised technologies guidance, normally within three months of the publication of final guidance. This is reflected in the NHS Constitution as a right to NICE approved treatments.

Haemophilia

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what data the Government collects on the number of bleeds people with severe haemophilia have each year.

Steve Brine: The United Kingdom Haemophilia Centre Doctors’ Organisation is required by the Department of Health and Social Care to collect data on diagnosis, management and complications of bleeding disorders including number of bleeds. This information is kept in the National Haemophilia Database (NHD) and funded by NHS England. The dataset can be found on the NHD website at the following link: http://www.ukhcdo.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/NHD_HT_DataSet_2018_Final.pdf

Radiotherapy

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many Linear Accelerator machines NHS England purchased as a result of the £130 million funding allocated to the Linear Accelerator programme in (a) 2016-17, (b) 2017-18  and (c) 2018-19; and how many machines it plans to purchase in (i) 2019-20 and (ii) 2020-21 as a result of that programme.

Steve Brine: Since October 2016, the Radiotherapy Modernisation Programme has funded over 80 replacement or upgraded Linear Accelerators (LINACs) and additional networking capability. The breakdown of equipment funded is as follows:- 2016/17 – 18 replacement LINACs and 12 upgrades;- 2017/18 – 26 replacement LINACs; and- 2018/19 – 25 replacement LINACs, one upgrade and seven treatment planning systems. Decisions on further funding in future years have not yet been taken and will depend partly on the outcome of the Spending Review later this year.

Hospitals: Food

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the nutritional value of hospital meals.

Stephen Hammond: The Department recognises the importance of good quality food for patients, both in terms of improving health and for their overall experience of services, and believes that it is a patient’s right to receive tasty, nutritious and free food as part of their National Health Service treatment. NHS Improvement commissioned a Healthcare Food Standards and Strategy Group in July 2018 whose first task is to produce national standards for healthcare food for patients, staff and visitors. The standards will incorporate current targets and future aspirational targets around sugar, salt and fat as well as looking at quality and the whole patient experience. The new standards are due to be published in September 2019 and following on from this a spin off group will begin work on a national menu and recipe bank using chefs from within the NHS which will be a tool to help organisations achieve high standards of nutritional excellence.

NHS: Income

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the income from NHS patients by NHS trusts in each of the last 10 years for which records are available.

Stephen Hammond: This information is not held centrally by the Department or NHS Improvement.

Nurses: Training

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many golden hello incentives have been made to nursing students; and how much in total has been spent on that scheme since it was announced in May 2018.

Stephen Hammond: In May 2018 Ministers announced a £10,000 incentive package for post graduate nursing students that start courses in 2018 and go on to National Health Service employment in learning disability, mental health or district nursing roles. Assuming that students go straight into employment, we would see payments starting to be made from June 2021. The final details of the scheme will be published by the Government in due course.

Department for International Development

Syria: Bomb Disposal

Jeff Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much of the £100 million budget for landmine clearance is being spent on clearing landmines in Syria; and whether that budget also provides for the clearance of other devices such as improvised explosive devices.

Alistair Burt: DFID provides support to demining in Syria, including in areas liberated from Daesh. This activity includes survey, mine clearance and the provision of mine risk education to the local population. This forms part of the £100 million spent across DFID’s Global Mine Action Programme, which overall tackles the threat of landmines and explosive remnants of war (ERW) in developing countries. As set out in the UK’s policy document on mine action, ERW includes abandoned improvised explosive devices.

Zimbabwe: Sanitary Protection

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether she has made an assessment of the difficulties that women in Zimbabwe face in obtaining sanitary products in that country; and whether he is taking steps to tackle that humanitarian need.

Harriett Baldwin: Period poverty is a serious issue in Zimbabwe. For example, recent reports show that some 62% of girls are missing school every month and 5% drop out completely due to menstruation. The Government of Zimbabwe has sought to address this through suspending import duty and value added tax on sanitaryware. Through our programmes in Zimbabwe we are currently supporting over 12,000 girls to stay in secondary school by providing a package of essential items including sanitaryware. In addition, the recently launched United Nations humanitarian flash appeal highlights procurement of sanitaryware as a priority action for specific groups.

Developing Countries: Young People

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what progress her Department has made on implementing its Youth Agenda, published in April 2016.

Harriett Baldwin: DFID is committed to empowering and engaging young people. Since the launch of the Youth Agenda in 2016 we have: introduced youth panels across several of our country offices, launched an organisation-wide network of young people, supported a further 15,430 young people from all backgrounds to complete the International Citizen Service programme, supported youth-led research projects, and given youth voices a platform at a number of international summits including the Family Planning Summit in July 2017, the Disability Summit in July 2018 and the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in April 2018. We continue to champion young people in our overseas programming. For example, we are currently working with over 735,000 adolescent girls to support their transition into secondary school.Between 2015 and 2018 DFID supported 11.4 million children in primary and lower secondary education, of whom 5.6 million were girls. Currently, DFID’s flagship Girls Education Challenge Fund has supported up to 1.5 million marginalised girls to benefit from a quality education.

Developing Countries: Young People

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she is planning to take to implement her Department's Youth Agenda, published in April 2016.

Harriett Baldwin: DFID is committed to empowering and engaging young people and we will continue to champion this across our work. For example, the next phase of the International Citizen Service (ICS) will have a renewed focus on diversity, employability and skills to not only give young people the confidence to engage in global issues, but also the skills to thrive as they transition into adulthood and the employment market. We are also working to enhance safeguarding practices for young people in tertiary education. Another example of our continued efforts is our leadership on tackling youth unemployment, with a particular focus on Africa. In addition, DFID is proud to sit on the Global Board of Generation Unlimited. This UNICEF-led multi-stakeholder initiative was launched in September 2018 with a focus on educating, upskilling, and empowering young people. Through our involvement we will amplify our voice and catalyse global action for young people.

Department for Education

Apprentices: Degrees

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans he has in addition to the levy transfer, to review the (a) barriers and (b) incentives to non-levy participation in degree apprenticeships.

Anne Milton: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Apprentices: Degrees

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he has taken to ensure disadvantaged young people are able to access degree apprenticeships.

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he has taken to establish performance criteria for degree apprenticeships and social mobility.

Anne Milton: The availability of level 6+ and degree apprenticeships has grown significantly. 78 standards available at level 6 and level 7, of which 60 are degree apprenticeships.The National Apprenticeship Service works with local partners and through an employer engagement campaign across the most deprived local authority areas (65 areas in total) to ensure that apprenticeships are available in disadvantaged areas at all levels. We have also recently launched our ‘Opportunities through Apprenticeships’ campaign, working with partners in Portsmouth, Nottingham, South Tyneside and Torbay to increase participation in apprenticeships particularly at higher levels.We have specifically supported degree apprenticeships for those under-represented through the Degree Apprenticeship Development Fund. In 2017, we launched the second phase of the fund, which included criteria aimed at encouraging access to degree apprenticeships for: disadvantaged groups, disadvantaged areas, expanding provision in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) and gender diversity in STEM. The fund has also supported a range of awareness-raising activities aimed at higher and degree apprenticeships, including supporting 30 co-branded Universities and Colleges Admissions Service/National Apprenticeship Service careers fairs and offering access to 240,000 Year 12 students.We have increased the proportion of people starting an apprenticeship from black and minority ethnic backgrounds to 11.2% in 2017/18 from an average of 10% in 2010/15. We have also increased the proportion of apprenticeships starts by people with learning difficulties and disabilities to 11.2 per cent.We do not differentiate between access or performance criteria at different apprenticeship levels, but we do have programme-wide targets and strive to widen participation across all levels of apprenticeships.

Grammar Schools: Social Mobility

Mr David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the effect of the number of grammar schools on levels of social mobility.

Nick Gibb: Grammar schools are popular and oversubscribed. 98% of grammar schools are rated good or outstanding by Ofsted; 84% are rated outstanding. Research shows that disadvantaged children attending grammar schools gain the greatest benefit in terms of their attainment.[1] The Selective Schools Expansion Fund will fund selective school expansion only if there is a need for places and the schools have deliverable and ambitious plans in place to admit more disadvantaged pupils. Previous administrations permitted selective schools to expand without placing any requirements upon them to admit more disadvantaged children. Sixteen grammar schools have successfully secured funding to expand via the SSEF and a second bidding round has been launched.In order to promote greater social mobility, the Department has also agreed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Grammar School Heads Association under the terms of which the Association has agreed to work with its members to increase the number of disadvantaged pupils on roll. [1] Atkinson and Gregg ‘Who Benefits from Grammar Schools’ 2004 (http://www.bristol.ac.uk/media-library/sites/cmpo/migrated/documents/bulletin11.pdf) ‘Poor pupils who make it into grammar schools do exceptionally well, getting nearly eight grade points more – equivalent to eight GCSEs being raised from a C to a B. Those not attending grammar schools do no worse than their peers in non-selective LEAs. It is clear from this that selection does indeed work in favour of bright pupils from poor backgrounds’. Jon Andrews, Jo Hutchinson and Rebecca Johnes (2016), also found that ‘for children entitled to free school meals and attending grammar schools the estimated effect is larger than for non-FSM children – at around half a grade higher in each of eight GCSEs. However, it is important to note that this is based on just 500 grammar school pupils out of almost 90,000 FSM pupils in any single year group’ ‘Grammar schools and social mobility’, (Education Policy Institute) (http://dera.ioe.ac.uk/29308/1/Grammar_schools_and_social_mobility_policy_options_v2-1.pdf).

Medicine: Education

Mr David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the annual cost was of medical education per student in each of the last five years.

Mr David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the annual cost was of engineering education per student in higher education institutions in each of the last five years.

Mr David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the annual cost was of social media studies education per student in higher education in each of the last five years.

Mr David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the annual cost was of dental education per student in higher education in each of the last five years.

Mr David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the annual cost was of veterinary education per student in higher education in each of the last five years.

Chris Skidmore: All undergraduate and postgraduate (taught and research) students receive upfront government funding to help cover the costs of their tuition fees and living expenses. The current amount of support they can receive for academic year 2018/19 and earlier years can be found on the Student Finance England website at: https://www.practitioners.slc.co.uk/policy/.Publicly funded higher education providers also receive direct funding, in the form of a teaching grant, to help support the provision of those subjects where costs typically exceed the amount received through tuition fees. Subjects are assigned to price bands with higher-cost subjects, including medicine and most science, engineering and technology related subject receiving the highest rates of top-up funding. The funding rates for academic year 2018/19 can be found on the Office for Students website at: https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/media/1448/ofs2018_21.pdf.Information on how funding has been allocated in earlier years by the former Higher Education Funding Council for England can be found at:https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20180319114434/http://www.hefce.ac.uk/funding/annallocns/.

Schools: Standards

Mr David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent steps his Department has taken to raise standards in schools.

Nick Gibb: Since May 2010 the Government has been determined to drive up academic standards. The proportion of children in good or outstanding schools has risen from 66% in 2010 to 84% in August 2018, which means 1.9 million more children are in good or outstanding schools. The Department has introduced a new, world class national curriculum and reformed statutory assessment in primary schools to help ensure that children have the knowledge and skills they need to succeed at secondary school. Rigorous new qualifications have been introduced so that employers, universities and young people themselves can feel full confidence in them. Teaching quality is critical to raising standards and the Department has recently published a strategy to ensure the very best teachers are recruited and retained in the profession. National centres and networks of regional hubs in priority subjects have been established to better support teachers to develop excellent practice. Through the national funding formula and pupil premium targeted funding is being allocated where it is most needed to tackle disadvantage and ensure all children and teachers are fully supported.

STEM Subjects

Mr David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department has taken to increase the take-up of STEM subjects.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

First Aid: Curriculum

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to his oral contribution of 25 February 2019, Official Report column 36, what his timescale is for the (a) piloting and (b) introduction of teaching on lifesaving and first aid skills; and what support his Department is providing to schools for that teaching.

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to his oral contribution of 25 February 2019, Official Report column 36, how he plans to distribute the £6 milllion support package for schools.

Nick Gibb: The Department is committed to supporting schools to deliver high quality relationships education, relationships and sex education and health education. This includes appropriate support on the teaching of lifesaving and first aid skills.The Department is aware that many schools already teach these subjects well, often as part of personal, social, health, and economic education and will be able to adapt to the new requirements quickly and draw on existing high-quality resources. An early adopter school programme has been established to support early teaching of the new requirements from September 2019. The lessons learned from these early adopter schools will be shared with schools working to a slower timetable.The Department’s consultation on the draft statutory guidance identified training as a priority for many teachers. The Department will be working with subject experts, teachers and schools to determine how this training can be structured and what should be contained in it. The Department intends to develop and test a training programme that is accessible to teachers by September 2020.The budget of £6 million in the 2019/20 financial year will support the development of a package of support for all schools. Funding beyond 2019/20 will be a matter for the forthcoming Spending Review.There are already free resources available for schools to teach first aid, including those provided by the Every Child a Lifesaver Coalition, made up of the British Heart Foundation, St John Ambulance and the British Red Cross.

Sex and Relationship Education

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the publication of final guidance and regulations on teaching Relationship and Sex Education and Health Education in schools, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of including lessons on combating loneliness and social isolation.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Higher Education: Finance

Mr Edward Vaizey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when he plans to publish the review of post-18 education and funding.

Chris Skidmore: The independent panel will report shortly. The government will then conclude the overall review later this year.

Schools: Standards

Alex Burghart: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many schools which were classified at their previous inspection as (a) outstanding, (b) good, (c) requires improvement and (d) inadequate were subsequently classified in an inspection in 2018 or 2019 as (a) outstanding, (b) good, (c) requires improvement and (d) inadequate.

Nick Gibb: This is a matter for Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Amanda Spielman. I have asked her to write to my hon. Friend and a copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Languages: Higher Education

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to help halt the decline in people studying modern languages at university.

Chris Skidmore: The institutional autonomy of English Higher Education (HE) providers is protected by the Higher Education and Research Act 2017. This includes autonomy over which courses to offer and which students to admit. The role of government is to create the right conditions and incentives so that HE providers are able to help respond to our economic and strategic priorities. We also want to enable students to make informed choices, and for student demand to influence the decisions providers make on what to offer.In England, we agree that learning foreign language is important and believe that building the skills and demand for degree courses starts in schools. That is why we are taking a number of steps to support schools in encouraging uptake of language qualifications.This includes:Introducing the English Baccalaureate (EBacc) performance measure in 2010 to halt the decline in the number of pupils taking GCSEs in the core academic subjects. The reformed national curriculum now makes it compulsory for pupils in maintained schools to be taught a foreign language in key stage 2.Promoting the value of language qualifications to students who are choosing their GCSEs and to their parents. We recently published and promoted a guidance leaflet for parents, which explains why studying a language, as part of the EBacc, broadens opportunities in both education and employment. Additionally, in February we drew attention to the benefits of studying a language among 13-14 year olds through a social media campaign.Supporting schools to increase languages take up through the £10 million Mandarin Excellence Programme and through a £4.8 million modern foreign languages pedagogy pilot programme, which will improve uptake and attainment in languages at key stages 3 to 4, particularly for disadvantaged pupils.

Apprentices: Disadvantaged

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to increase the number of students from disadvantaged backgrounds studying for degree-level apprenticeships.

Anne Milton: The availability of level 6+ apprenticeships and degree apprenticeships has grown significantly, with 78 standards now available at levels 6 and 7, of which 60 include a degree. The National Apprenticeship Service works with local partners and through an employer engagement campaign across the most deprived local authority areas (65 in total) to make sure that apprenticeships are available in disadvantaged areas at all levels.We have also recently launched our Opportunities Through Apprenticeships project, working with local authorities, employers and providers in Portsmouth, South Tyneside, Nottingham and Torbay to increase participation in high-value apprenticeships and drive social mobility. We have supported degree apprenticeships for those from disadvantaged backgrounds through the Degree Apprenticeship Development Fund.In 2017, we launched the second phase of the fund to expand degree apprenticeships and to widen access to the opportunities they offer. The fund also incorporated measures to expand provision in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) and improve gender diversity in STEM apprenticeships. It also supported a range of awareness-raising activities focusing on higher-level and degree apprenticeships, including 30 co-branded Universities and Colleges Admissions Service/National Apprenticeship Service careers fairs offering 240,000 Year 12 students access to information on high quality technical education options at all levels.

European University Institute

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to his Answer of 26 February 2019 to Question 224488 on European University Institute, whether he has sought legal advice on his assessment that in the event of the UK leaving the EU without a deal, the UK’s membership of the EUIC will automatically cease on 29 March 2019.

Chris Skidmore: Legal advice was received before the European University Institute (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 were submitted.

Department for Education: Procurement

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the guidance entitled, Procurement policy note 03/14: promoting tax compliance, how many suppliers were allocated contracts by his Department as a result of complying with (a) one and (b) more than one of the mitigating circumstances after failing the tax compliance questions.

Anne Milton: The information is not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Schools: Cost-effectiveness

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many school efficiency advisers have been (a) employed and (b) deployed by his Department since 2017.

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many school efficiency advisers have been deployed in each region since 2017.

Nick Gibb: There are currently 94 accredited School Resource Management Advisors (SRMAs). SRMAs are not employed directly by the Department and each is signed up to a provider organisation that is responsible for their management and deployment. More can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/esfa-extends-schools-resource-management-adviser-pilot.SRMAs have undertaken or are currently undertaking 221 deployments (130 completed and 91 in progress) to academy trusts, University Technical Colleges (UTCs) and local authorities. Deployments to trusts, local authorities and UTCs have been in the following Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) areas:56 to the ESFA North areas (covering the ‘North’ and ‘Lancashire & West Yorkshire’ Regional School Commissioner (RSC) regions);48 to the ESFA Central areas (covering ‘West Midlands’ and ‘East Midlands & Humber’ RSC regions);42 to the ESFA South Central and East areas (covering ‘NW London and South Central’ and ‘East of England and North East London’ RSC regions); and75 to the ESFA South areas. (covering ‘South East and South London’ and ‘South West’ RSC regions).

Ministry of Justice

Crime: Victims

Laura Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will allocate additional funding for resources to protect young victims of crime.

Edward Argar: The Ministry of Justice has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Criminal Proceedings: Veterans

Mr David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the undertakings in the Armed Forces Covenant, what steps he is taking to ensure that veterans are identified when they enter the criminal justice system.

Edward Argar: The Ministry of Justice has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Courts: Closures

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, which courts his Department closed in 2015; on what dates those court buildings were sold; and what the value was of each of those sales.

Lucy Frazer: he decision to close a court is never taken lightly. Court closures have taken place following a public consultation and only when the Lord Chancellor was satisfied that effective access to justice could be maintained. We have closed less efficient courts allowing for resources to be concentrated into a smaller number of better quality and more flexible buildings. The table below provides a list of courts closed in the 2015/16 financial year, their date of sale and the disposal proceeds. Courts closed during 2015/16 financial yearDate SoldProceeds (£)Accrington County CourtLeasehold propertyN/AAccrington Magistrates’ CourtLeasehold propertyN/ARichmond upon Thames Magistrates' CourtAug-179,838,000Solihull Magistrates' CourtMay-174,312,000Waltham Forest Magistrates' CourtAug-173,471,040Worksop Magistrates' CourtOct-16115,000 To note, the list does not include court integrations, which involve the movement (or merging) of services into another existing HMCTS location in the same local area.

Courts: Closures

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, which courts his Department closed in 2016; on what dates those court buildings were sold; and what the value was of each of those sales.

Lucy Frazer: The decision to close a court is never taken lightly. Court closures have taken place following a public consultation and only when the Lord Chancellor was satisfied that effective access to justice could be maintained. We have closed less efficient courts allowing for resources to be concentrated into a smaller number of better quality and more flexible buildings. The table below provides a list of courts closed in the 2016/17 financial year, their date of sale and the disposal proceeds. Courts closed during 2016/17 financial yearDate SoldProceeds (£)Bournemouth Magistrates' CourtApr-181,920,299Brecon Law CourtsPending disposal- in solicitors’ handsN/ABridgend Law CourtsMar-17375,000Burton upon Trent Magistrates' CourtMar-17240,000Bury St Edmunds Crown & Magistrates' CourtMar-171,050,000Buxton Magistrates’ and County CourtLeasehold propertyN/ACaerphilly Magistrates' CourtMar-18445,000Carmarthen Law Courts (The Guildhall)Dec-16223,004Consett Magistrates' CourtOct-16225,000Corby Magistrates' CourtMar-17140,000Dartford Magistrates' CourtOct-161,000,000Dolgellau Crown & Magistrates' CourtNov-1767,509Dorchester crown court (Weymouth and Dorchester combined)Leasehold propertyN/AFareham Magistrates' CourtMar-171,150,000Feltham Magistrates' CourtMar-172,150,000Gloucester Magistrates’ CourtLeasehold propertyN/AGrantham Magistrates’ CourtJan-17560,000Greenwich Magistrates' CourtAug-1712,005,000Halifax County CourtOct-17200,000Halifax Magistrates' Court (Calderdale)Oct-16550,000Hartlepool Magistrates’ and County CourtLeasehold propertyN/AHinckley Magistrates’ CourtMar-17800,000Kettering Magistrates' CourtMar-17187,500Kings Lynn County CourtLeasehold propertyN/ALowestoft Magistrates' CourtMar-17150,000Macclesfield County CourtLeasehold propertyN/AMacclesfield Magistrates' CourtMar-17385,000Morpeth and Berwick County CourtLeasehold propertyN/ANeath and Port Talbot Civil and Family CourtOct-17250,000Oldham Magistrates' CourtMar-17650,000Ormskirk Magistrates' CourtOct-16250,000Pontypridd Magistrates' CourtMar-17350,000Redhill Magistrates' & Reigate County CourtNov-176,550,000Rhyl County CourtSep-1792,150Rotherham Magistrates' & County CourtMar-171Runcorn (Halton) Magistrates' CourtPending disposalN/ASandwell Magistrates' CourtMar-17530,000Scunthorpe Magistrates’ and County CourtLeasehold propertyN/ASkegness Magistrates' CourtOct-16150,000Stroud Magistrates’ CourtLeasehold propertyN/ATottenham Magistrates' CourtMay-174,570,000Trafford Magistrates' Court & Altrincham County CourtOct-163,235,000Tunbridge Wells County CourtLeasehold propertyN/AWakefield & Pontefract Magistrates' CourtMar-17360,000Warrington Combined Court (County Part Only)Located within Combined court which did not closeN/AWest Berkshire Magistrates' Court (Newbury)Oct-161,000,000Yate Magistrates' Court (North Avon)Oct-161,350,000 To note, the list does not include court integrations, which involve the movement of (or merging) of services into another existing HMCTS location in the same local area.

Courts: Closures

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, which courts his Department closed in 2017; on what dates those court buildings were sold; and what the value was of each of those sales.

Lucy Frazer: The decision to close a court is never taken lightly. Court closures have taken place following a public consultation and only when the Lord Chancellor was satisfied that effective access to justice could be maintained. We have closed less efficient courts allowing for resources to be concentrated into a smaller number of better quality and more flexible buildings. The table below provides a list of courts closed in the 2017/18 financial year, their date of sale and the disposal proceeds.   Court building closures 2017/18Date SoldProceeds (£)Bicester Magistrates' CourtOct-171,270,000Birmingham Magistrates' Youth CourtPending disposalN/ABolton Combined court centre (county part only)Leasehold propertyN/ABow County CourtDec-173,500,000Bury Magistrates' & County CourtOct-17400,000Chichester Magistrates' CourtPending disposalN/ADover Magistrates' CourtAug-17350,000Eastbourne Magistrates' & County CourtOct-17805,000Hammersmith Magistrates' CourtDec-1743,000,000Holyhead Magistrates' CourtOct-17112,500Kendal Magistrates' & County CourtNov-17720,000Kettering County CourtOct-17200,000Lambeth County CourtLeasehold propertyN/ALlangefni Civil and Family CourtMar-1872,000Oldham County CourtLeasehold propertyN/ASt Albans County Court (County Part Only)Located within St Albans Crown Court which did not closeN/AStafford Magistrates' CourtSep-17435,000Torquay Magistrates' CourtPending disposalN/AWatford Magistrates’ CourtMay -183,836,000Woolwich County CourtNov -172,555,000 To note, the list does not include court integrations, which involve the movement of (or merging) of services into another existing HMCTS location in the same local area.

Courts: Closures

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, which courts his Department closed in 2018; on what dates those court buildings were sold; and what the value was of each of those sales.

Lucy Frazer: The table below provides a list of courts closed in the 2018/ 19 financial year as at the end of February 2019. Operational Court building closures 2018/19Proceeds (£)Chippenham Magistrates' & Civil CourtDisposal pendingChichester Combined CourtDisposal pendingMaidenhead Magistrates’ CourtDisposal pending  To note, the list does not include court integrations, which involve the movement of (or merging) of services into another existing HMCTS location in the same local area. The closure of any court is not taken lightly – it only happens following full public consultation and when communities have reasonable access to alternative courts.

Human Rights

Chris Law: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether the Government has any plans to promote human rights in the UK and abroad through the creation of a dedicated UK Minister or commissioner for human rights.

Edward Argar: The Government has two Ministers with responsibility for human rights. In my role as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Ministry of Justice, I have Ministerial responsibility for human rights domestically, and Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister of State for the Commonwealth and the United Nations at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, has responsibility for human rights internationally. We have no plans for additional Human Rights Ministers or Commissioners.

Shoplifting

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether offences of shop theft of goods worth £200 or less are classified summary-only crimes since the introduction of the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014.

Rory Stewart: Section 176 of the Anti-Social Behaviour Crime and Policing Act 2014 inserted into the Magistrates’ Courts Act 1980 a deeming provision (section 22A) whereby shop theft of goods worth £200 or less (‘low-value shoplifting’) is treated as a summary only offence unless the accused elects to be tried by a judge and jury.

Department for International Trade

Department for International Trade: Public Consultation

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many consultations by his Department (a) are open, (b) are closed awaiting a Government response and (c) have been initiated since 2016.

George Hollingbery: The Department for International Trade currently has no open consultations. Four consultations were launched in last year, enabling the public to provide their views on potential future trade agreement negotiations with the USA, Australia, New Zealand, and on the UK potentially seeking accession to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership. We had over 600,000 responses to the consultations. A government response for each will be published before any formal free trade agreement negotiations commence. Five consultations have been initiated since 2016, the four in 2018 and a call for evidence in 2017 to identify UK interest in existing UK trade remedy measures.

Trade Agreements: Public Sector

Janet Daby: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps he is taking to protect the (a) NHS and (b) other public services in the negotiation of trade agreements after the UK leaves the EU.

George Hollingbery: I refer [the Honourable Friend for Lewisham East] to the answer I gave to [the Member for Midlothian] on 26 February 2019, UIN 224362.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Housing: Construction

Laura Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will bring forward proposals obliging housing developers as a condition of planning consent to provide defibrillators (a) on site during the construction and (b) for use by residents following the completion of developments.

Kit Malthouse: Planning conditions can enhance the quality and mitigate any adverse effects of a development, but local authorities are required to provide specific justification for every planning condition they impose as part of a planning permission. Conditions must also meet the policy tests for conditions as set in the National Planning Policy Framework. This states that a condition must be necessary, relevant to planning and to the development to be permitted, enforceable, precise and reasonable in all other aspects. There should not be duplication with other relevant regulatory frameworks which cover the development.Planning conditions generally do not cover health and safety matters in relation to the construction of the development as these matters are subject to health and safety legislation. Although there is no absolute requirement under health and safety legislation for employers to provide defibrillators in the workplace, including construction sites, employers might identify the need for a defibrillator following the first aid needs assessment they are required to carry out under the Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981. These regulations state that employers must provide the equipment and facilities they need to deliver adequate and appropriate first aid for their employees, if they are injured or become ill at work.Residential developments are also subject to the building safety regime which prescribes clear safety standards and guidance for the construction and operation of new developments. Whilst Building Regulations are possibly not the most suitable way to ensure well located and safe defibrillators the Building Regulations Advisory Committee (BRAC) has started to scope a review of Part M guidance. As part of this review work, recommendations on the location for defibrillators may be considered.

Garden Communities

Mr David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how much funding his Department has allocated to local authorities for the development of new (a) garden cities and (b) villages.

Kit Malthouse: Across England, we are currently supporting twenty-four locally-led garden communities, to be exemplars of high quality, good design and best practice. This support has included the provision of £31 million of capacity funding to the garden towns and villages and nearly £300 million of infrastructure funding to Ebbsfleet Garden City.

Second Homes: Non-domestic Rates

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what progress he has made on ensuring that business rate relief is not used for second homes to avoid council tax in (a) rural and (b) coastal communities.

Rishi Sunak: The Government believes it is right that owners of genuine holiday lets, many of which are small businesses, can apply for the relief to which they may be entitled. The Government has recently consulted on whether the criteria for deciding whether holiday properties are subject to council tax or business rates remains appropriate. We are currently considering the responses to that consultation before deciding next steps.

Families: Disadvantaged

Alex Burghart: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans his Department has to continue the Troubled Families programme beyond 2020.

Rishi Sunak: The Government remains committed to helping local authorities support vulnerable families. We will review the Troubled Families Programme’s impact on families, services and taxpayers as part of our planning for the Spending Review.

Travellers: Caravan Sites

Sir Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans he has to issue good practice guidance to support local authorities’ use of powers to deal with unauthorised encampments; what his timetable is for issuing that guidance; and if he will make a statement.

Kit Malthouse: Although the majority of the travelling community are law-abiding, it is clear that unauthorised encampments can pose serious difficulties for local residents.The Government is determined to tackle this issue. This is why, in the Government response to the consultation on powers for dealing with unauthorised development and encampments published 9 February [https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/powers-for-dealing-with-unauthorised-development-and-encampments], my Department and the Home Office set out a comprehensive range of measures including a commitment to produce good practice guidance to support local authorities’ use of existing powers to deal with unauthorised encampments. We have committed to initially publish non-statutory guidance, which we will develop in consultation with local authorities and the travelling community. We will, in due course, create a power to place this guidance on a statutory footing and confirm the timetable.

Rough Sleeping and Homelessness Reduction Taskforce

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when the Rough Sleeping and Homelessness Reduction Ministerial Taskforce last met; and what plans there are for future meetings.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: The Government is committed to reducing homelessness and ending rough sleeping. No one should ever have to sleep rough. That is why we published the cross-government Rough Sleeping Strategy. This sets out an ambitious £100 million package to help people who sleep rough now, but also puts in place the structures that will end rough sleeping once and for all. The Government has now committed over £1.2 billion to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping over the spending review period. In its first year, the Rough Sleeping Initiative provided over 1,750 new bed spaces and 500 staff.The Taskforce met for the first time on 7 March 2018 and continues to meet on a regular basis to support the implementation of the Rough Sleeping Strategy and to support development and implementation of policies to reduce broader homelessness.The Taskforce is chaired by the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Rt Hon David Lidington MP, and reports to the Prime Minister. Its membership brings together ministers from key departments, which includes the Secretaries of State for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, the Department of Health and Social Care, the Home Office, Department for Work and Pensions, Department for Education, Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Justice, HM Treasury and six junior ministers whose portfolios cover rough sleeping and homelessness.

Retail Trade: Payment Methods

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of falling usage of cash in retail transactions on the economic sustainability of high streets.

Jake Berry: The Government recognises that widespread free access to cash remains extremely important to the day-to-day lives of many consumers and businesses in the UK. The Government established the Payment Systems Regulator (PSR) with a statutory duty to ensure that payment systems work well for those who use them. As part of this, the PSR regulates LINK (the scheme that runs the UK's ATM network) and is closely monitoring developments in ATM provision.

Housing

Tom Tugendhat: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the default measure of housing supply derived under the standardised methodology can be bypassed where a Local Plan has been submitted under the transitional arrangements which meets its objectively assessed need; whether increased weight can be attributed to the emerging plan in respect of a five-year housing land supply; and if he will make a statement.

Kit Malthouse: Local planning authorities who submitted their local plans by 24 January this year are not bound to use the standard method. Instead their assessment of housing need should have been generated using policy in the previous National Planning Policy Framework. Under this, authorities were still expected to identify their full housing needs.The revised Framework retains the pre-existing policy that weight may be given to emerging policies (including the land supply policies) according to how advanced the plan is, the extent to which there are any unresolved objections and the degree of consistency between the emerging policies and national planning policy. In the case of plans submitted during the transitional arrangement, these are policies in the previous framework.

Road Signs and Markings

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of rules regulating the installation and operation of digital signage in residential areas and the effect of light pollution from these signs on local residents.

Kit Malthouse: The display of advertisements is controlled by reference to their effect on amenity and public safety. Where express consent to display an advertisement is needed, local planning authorities are required to consider the effect on amenity and public safety, taking account of cumulative impacts. Depending on the location and nature of a proposed advertisement, this could include consideration of the impacts of light pollution on local residents. This is a matter of judgement for local planning authorities.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Procurement

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the guidance entitled, Procurement policy note 03/14: promoting tax compliance, how many suppliers were allocated contracts by his Department as a result of complying with (a) one and (b) more than one of the mitigating circumstances after failing the tax compliance questions.

Jake Berry: I refer the Hon Member to my answer to Question UIN 225627 on 28 February 2019.

Ministry of Defence

HMS Collingwood

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what training courses the Maritime and Coastguard Agency has provided to Royal Navy personnel on HMS Collingwood since 2008.

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether it is his policy to facilitate the training of Royal Navy personnel for employment in the merchant navy.

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Royal Navy personnel have obtained qualifications to work in the UK merchant navy in each year since 2008-09.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) does not deliver any training at HMS Collingwood. The majority of navigation training and other courses delivered by the Royal Navy at HMS Collingwood, and at other establishments are, however, MCA accredited.To identify the number of personnel who may have qualifications that are recognised by the Merchant Navy would require individual records to be scrutinised and could be provided only at disproportionate costs.

Ministry of Defence: Chief Scientific Advisers

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many meetings he held with his Department’s Chief Scientific Adviser between 1 December 2018 and 28 February 2019.

Gavin Williamson: Between 1 December 2018 and 28 February 2019 there have been no meetings between myself and the Ministry of Defence Chief Scientific Adviser.

Department for Work and Pensions

Employment: Dyslexia

Laura Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to encourage businesses to offer meaningful employment to people with dyslexia.

Sarah Newton: Improving employment opportunities for people with learning difficulties, including those with dyslexia, is a Government priority. When employers sign up to our Disability Confident scheme they are asked to make specific meaningful offers of opportunities for disabled people, such as jobs, apprenticeships, internships, and work experience opportunities. Disability Confident employers who use the Find a Job service to advertise jobs can now add a searchable Disability Confident tag to their vacancies. This allows disabled people to find Disability Confident employers who are offering jobs that match their skills. Over 10,500 employers have signed up to Disability Confident, and their number continues to grow. Where people with dyslexia require additional support at work above the level of reasonable adjustments, the Access to Work scheme can help. In 2018, 3,440 people whose primary medical condition was recorded as dyslexia had an Access to Work award approved.

Occupational Health

Martin Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she has plans to require employers to contract occupational health services; and what assessment she has made of the potential costs to business of implementing such a requirement.

Sarah Newton: The Government wants to see employers of all sizes create healthy workplaces where people can thrive and will consult this year on measures to encourage and support all employers to play their part and to improve access to occupational health.

Occupational Health

Martin Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the quality of (a) occupational health services and (b) SEQOHS accreditation scheme in measuring the effectiveness of those services in delivering successful returns to work.

Martin Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the average cost to an employer of contracting a physician-led occupational health service.

Sarah Newton: We have not made an assessment that would specifically address this question. As outlined in the Government’s 2017 Command Paper ‘Improving Lives; the future of work, health and disability’ we have commissioned research to better understand occupational health provision. Findings are due to be published in 2019. We have worked with a wide range of stakeholders, including through our Occupational Health Expert Group, to shape measures to improve access to high quality occupational health. We will set out our proposals in a consultation exercise in 2019.

Occupational Health

Martin Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential growth of the occupational health market in the event that all employers contracted occupational health services.

Sarah Newton: We have not made an assessment that would specifically address this question. However, in 2017, the occupational health market was estimated to be worth around £800m a year.In 2014, 51% of all GB employees had access to occupational health services provided for by their employer.We have worked with a wide range of stakeholders, including through our Occupational Health Expert Group, to shape measures to improve access to high quality occupational health. We will set out our proposals in a consultation exercise in 2019.

Occupational Health

Martin Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent financial incentives she has introduced to encourage employers to invest in the health and well being of their workforce through the contracting of services designed to facilitate more rapid returns to work by employees at risk of health-related job loss.

Sarah Newton: The tax incentives available to employers to encourage investment in employee health and wellbeing include relief for employer-funded medical treatment up to £500 where there has been a recommendation from an occupational health professional and the employee has been absent for 28 days. To inform future policy decisions, the Government is supporting the West Midlands Combined Authority to undertake a pilot study to assess whether and how financial incentives affect SME actions to improve health and wellbeing in the workplace. The Government will consult this year on measures to encourage and support all employers to reduce health-related job loss, and to improve access to occupational health.

Work Capability Assessment

Emma Dent Coad: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the oral contribution of the Minister for Disabled People of 22 January 2019, Official Report, column 106WH on the satisfaction ratings of disability benefit claimants, if she will commission independent research on the satisfaction rates of claimants who have recently undergone a work capability assessment.

Sarah Newton: Research with claimants who have recently undergone a Work Capability Assessment is undertaken by a different organisation to the provider delivering the assessments. The telephone survey is voluntary and is based on a set of questions agreed with the department.The Department also undertakes its own survey which is designed to monitor claimant satisfaction with the services offered by the department and to enable claimant views to inform improvements to the delivery of benefits and services. This information is published on gov.uk.

Employment and Support Allowance

Emma Dent Coad: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 30 May 2018 to Question 146988 on the revised wording of the ESA65B letters sent to employment support allowance claimants’ GPs, on what date the meeting took place at which the British Medical Association and the Royal College of General Practitioners agreed to that revised wording.

Emma Dent Coad: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if her Department will consult the welfare benefits advice sector and disability charities on the wording of the ESA65B letter to claimants’ GPs after a Work Capability Assessment that finds them fit for work.

Sarah Newton: The British Medical Association and the Royal College of General Practitioners agreed to the revised wording of the ESA65B on 4 August 2016. The Department is committed to ensuring all of its communications are clear, accurate and understandable and we continuously improve our letters. We engage regularly with the welfare benefits advice sector and disability charities and take into account all of the feedback we receive. We have received comments from a number of sources including MPs, stakeholder organisations and GPs on the current version of the ESA65B letter and will take all of their feedback into account when revising it.

Occupational Health

Martin Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the contribution of the occupational health market to the economy.

Sarah Newton: We have not made an assessment that would specifically address this question. However, ill health among working age people, which prevents them working, costs the economy around £100bn a year. Occupational health can prevent work-related illness, unnecessary sickness absence, people falling out of work, as well as supporting business productivity and potentially reducing NHS pressures.We have worked with a wide range of stakeholders, including through our Occupational Health Expert Group, to shape measures to improve access to high quality occupational health. We will set out our proposals in a consultation exercise in 2019.

Personal Independence Payment: Chronic Illnesses

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in receipt of personal independence payment who are known to have lifelong conditions which are unlikely to improve have been awarded an ongoing award (a) in Brighton and Hove and (b) nationally.

Sarah Newton: Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is not based on condition or on whether it is or isn’t lifelong, it instead is based on daily living or mobility needs. On 31st October 2018, there were 1,430 Personal Independence Payment (PIP) claims in payment that were in receipt of an ongoing award in the Brighton and Hove Local Authority area and 412,070 that were in receipt of an ongoing award in Great Britain. Ongoing awards do not have an end date, but will be subject to a light touch review at the 10 year point. We have recently amended the guidance to ensure that all those awarded the highest level of support under PIP, and who have needs which will stay the same or deteriorate, will receive an ongoing award with a light touch review at the 10 year point. Source: PIP ADS Notes:An ongoing award is defined as an award which has a blank end date in the PIP ADS.Figures are based on the latest outcome for each case and will take into account the effect of a Mandatory Reconsideration, an Appeal, Award Review or Change of Circumstances on a claim.Normal Rules onlyData has been rounded to the nearest 10.This is unpublished data. It should be used with caution and it may be subject to future revision.

Personal Independence Payment: Chronic Illnesses

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make it her policy to end regular reviews of personal independence payment for claimants of working age with (a) motor neurone disease, (b) other degenerative conditions and (c) lifelong conditions which are unlikely to improve; and if she will make a statement.

Sarah Newton: Once someone has been awarded Personal Independence Payment (PIP), which can be paid at one of eight rates, that award will be reviewed. Reviews of PIP are a key part of the benefit to ensure that awards remain correct where needs may change and that we maintain contact with the claimant, both features that are missing from its predecessor Disability Living Allowance. The length of an award is based on an individual’s circumstances and can vary from nine months to an on-going award, with a light touch review after ten years.We introduced updated guidance for case managers and an updated PIP Assessment Guide in 2018 which will ensure that those people who receive the highest level of support under PIP, and where their needs are unlikely to change or may get worse, will now receive an ongoing award with a light touch review at the ten-year point. In line with PIP’s aim to be needs-based rather than condition-based, the change to the guidance is not condition specific. However, we believe the changes will ensure that those with severe and/or progressive conditions receive the most appropriate award duration that reflects their condition and the needs arising.

Department for Work and Pensions: Public Consultation

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many consultations by her Department (a) are open, (b) are closed awaiting a Government response and (c) have been initiated since 2016.

Justin Tomlinson: The Department for Work and Pensions has one open consultation, 8 that are closed awaiting a Government response and has initiated 90 consultations since 1 January 2016.All public government consultations are uploaded onto GOV.UK where it is possible to filter consultations by many criteria, including department, official document status and date of publication.

Department for Work and Pensions: Procurement

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Government guidance entitled Procurement policy note 03/14: promoting tax compliance, how many suppliers were allocated contracts by her Department Department as a result of complying with (a) one and (b) more than one of the mitigating circumstances after failing the tax compliance questions in each year for which information is available.

Justin Tomlinson: The information requested is not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. To obtain the information a search through individual records would be required as this is not recorded on departmental systems.

Department for Work and Pensions: Complaints

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many constituent complaints have been referred to her Department by the Department for Work and Pensions in each of the last ten years.

Justin Tomlinson: We have taken this to mean how many complaints from hon. Members to the Department have been escalated to the Ministerial team. The information requested is not available other than at disproportionate cost.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Horseracing: Animal Welfare

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what information his Department holds on the timescale for the review of the British Horseracing Authority's review whip sanctions; and if he will make a statement.

David Rutley: Defra is keen to ensure that we uphold our high standards of animal welfare including in relation to horseracing. Irresponsible use of the whip is completely unacceptable. The British Horseracing Association (BHA) requires that whips be used responsibly and jockeys may only use the whip within certain strict rules. The BHA last undertook a review of the whip in 2011. The BHA policy on the whip was drawn up in consultation with animal welfare groups, such as the RSPCA and World Horse Welfare. Defra understands that the BHA will give further consideration to use of the whip as part of their development of an industry-wide welfare strategy.

Animal Welfare: Sentencing

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to bring forward legislation on increased sentencing for animal cruelty in this session of Parliament.

David Rutley: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Romford, Andrew Rosindell, on 22 February 2019, PQ 208811.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Procurement

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the guidance entitled, Procurement policy note 03/14: promoting tax compliance, how many suppliers were allocated contracts by his Department as a result of complying with (a) one and (b) more than one of the mitigating circumstances after failing the tax compliance questions.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The information requested is not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. To obtain the information a manual search through individual records would be required as this is not recorded on departmental systems.

Home Office

Crimes of Violence: Retail Trade

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the letter to the Rt. Hon. Member for Delyn, dated 21 January 2019 and deposited in the library, what the planned timescale is for the (a) completion of draft questions, (b) evidence gathering exercise, (c) closing date and (d) Government's response to the call for evidence on attacks against retail employees.

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the letter to the Rt. Hon. Member for Delyn, dated 21 January 2019 and deposited in the library, what steps his Department is planning to take to deliver the targeted communications activity to raise awareness of the existing legislation that covers assaults against an individual when working in a retail environment; and what the budget is for that communications activity.

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the letter to the Rt. Hon. Member for Delyn, dated 21 January 2019 and deposited in the library, when he plans to publish details on the outcomes of the retail group meeting held in February 2019.

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the letter to the Rt. Hon. Member for Delyn, dated 21 January 2019 and deposited in the Library, what the (a) outcomes were and (b) response was to the letter to the Commissioner of the City of London Police on retail crime and attacks on retail employees.

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when he plans to respond to the letter from the Rt. Hon. Member for Delyn, dated 22 January 2019.

Victoria Atkins: We are committed to tackling violence and abuse toward shop workers; everyone has the right to feel safe at work.On 21 January I announced that we will launch a call for evidence to strengthen our understanding of this issue. We will launch this shortly, before the Offensive Weapons Bill completes its passage through Parliament. We will ensure that interested parties have sufficient time to respond and that the analysis and subsequent Government response is taken forward promptly.To support this, we are providing £50,000 for a sector-led communications campaign to raise awareness of this issue. We are finalising plans for this campaign and will announce further details shortly.On 12 February I chaired a meeting of the National Retail Crime Steering Group (NRCSG) which focused exclusively on this issue. Agenda items included a discussion on the scope and direction of the call for evidence, and the NRCSG’s workplan on tackling violence and abuse, including in relation to the police response. My response to the Rt Hon member’s letter of 22 January was sent on 12th March 2019 and sets out plans for this work in more detail. A copy of this letter has been placed in the House library.

Police: Pension Rights

Neil O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of pension sharing orders relating to police pensions; and if he will review his policy to ensure that people in receipt of police pensions are not disadvantaged by such orders in the event that they become divorced.

Mr Nick Hurd: Pension sharing is one way in which the pension entitlements of divorcing parties may be split. It is governed by legislation which applies generally to pensions on divorce. Following pension sharing, a pension for the ex-spouse is calculated using actuarial guidance as prescribed. We have no plans to make changes to the pension sharing arrangements for the police pension scheme.

Law and Order: EU Countries

Brendan O'Hara: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many staff of his Department are working on programmes relating to UK-EU law enforcement information-sharing following the UK's withdrawal from the EU.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Home Office does not hold information that is broken down in this way, and it could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Terrorism: Universities

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions he has had with (a) universities and (b) police forces on the safety of universities from terrorist activity.

Mr Ben Wallace: Work to protect universities as potential targets of attack forms part of the Government’s crowded places strategy, of which universities form part of the higher education sector. As such, relevant high-quality protective security advice and guidance is made available to universities and other higher education institutions through the National Counter Terrorism Security Office (NaCTSO) and via police Counter Terrorism Security Advisors, who operate in every region of the UK.In addition, the Colleges and Higher Education Security Standard (CHESS) project, based at the University of Northampton, is working to identify and share effective practice from the further and higher education sectors to improve security, business continuity and resilience across the sector. This Home Office funded project, supported by the Department for Education and the Office for Students, is due to be completed shortly and will complement NaCTSO advice.

Entry Clearances: EU Nationals

Conor McGinn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to his Department's White Paper on The UK’s future skills-based immigration system, Cm 9722, how the  proposed future introduction of Electronic Travel Authorisation for EU nationals set out in that White Paper will operate within local journeys in the Common Travel Area and local journeys over the Irish land border.

Caroline Nokes: The Government intends to introduce a requirement for visitors and transit passengers who do not need a visa to come to the UK to obtain an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA). The requirement will not apply to Irish nationals,The detail of our ETA scheme is currently under development and requires primary legislation before it can be introduced.The UK does not operate routine immigration controls on local journeys from within the Common Travel Area and the ETA scheme will be developed to operate in a way which is consistent with those arrangements.

Detention Centres

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many times he has visited immigration detention centres since his appointment as Secretary of State for the Home Department; and which immigration detention centres he has so visited.

Caroline Nokes: The Home Secretary and Home Office Ministers conduct visits, and host meetings, on the whole spectrum of Home Office business regularly. It is our policy not to provide details of such visits.Information on ministers’ meetings is released quarterly as part of Government transparency and accountability data and is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/home-office-ministerial-gifts-hospitality-travel-and-meetings-july-to-september-2018

Wales Office

Wales Office: Chief Scientific Advisers

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how many meetings he held with his Department’s Chief Scientific Adviser between 1 December 2018 and 28 February 2019.

Nigel Adams: The Office of the Secretary of State for Wales does not employ a Chief Scientific Adviser.

Cabinet Office

Conflict, Stability and Security Fund

Helen Goodman: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what plans he has for publication of Conflict, Security and Stability Fund programme summaries up to the end of July 2019.

Mr David Lidington: The CSSF has published programme summaries for financial years 2017/18 and 2018/19 on gov.uk . In November 2018, 76 CSSF programme summaries for 2018/19 programmes were published and a further seven programme summaries are due to be published shortly. The CSSF continues to work towards greater transparency and the programme summaries for 2019/20 will be published later this year.

Civil Service: Greater London

Neil O'Brien: What steps his Department is taking to move civil service jobs out of London in line with the Government's Industrial Strategy.

Oliver Dowden: We have established the Places for Growth Programme to relocate Civil Service roles into the regions and nations. This will see at least 1,000 roles moved by 2022 and thousands more by 2030. The programme is reinforcing the Government’s commitment to driving economic growth across the UK through local industrial strategies, devolution deals and city deals.

Elections: Proof of Identity

Craig Mackinlay: Whether the Government plans to conduct further voter ID pilots; and if he will make a statement.

Chloe Smith: The British public deserves to have confidence in our democracy. A diverse range of local authorities have confirmed that they will be taking part in Voter ID and postal vote pilots for the 2019 local elections. The pilots will provide further insight into ensuring the security of the voting process.

Candidates: Females

Victoria Prentis: What plans the Government has to use the centenary of Nancy Astor’s election to Parliament to encourage more women to stand for public office.

Brandon Lewis: Everyone in this house owes a great debt to Nancy Astor. As the first woman to take her seat in the Commons in December 1919, she forged the way for women to take their rightful place in our representative democracy - and I’m proud that she was a Conservative. Since 2018 the government’s suffrage centenary fund has been supporting projects to increase women’s political participation in the years to come

Public Sector: Billing

Andrew Lewer: What steps he is taking to ensure that Government (a) suppliers and (b) subcontractors are paid on time.

Oliver Dowden: We are committed to ensuring that 90% of invoices from SMEs are paid within 5 days, alongside paying all invoices within 30 days. I announced new measures coming into force this year that will exclude suppliers from winning Government contracts if they fail to pay subcontractors on time.

Procurement: Social Impact Bonds

Tim Loughton: What plans he has to use social impact bonds in Government procurement.

Oliver Dowden: On Monday, I spoke at the Social Value Summit, where I outlined our commitment to recognising social value in major government procurements. Social Impact Bonds, which this Government has pioneered since 2010, are an important part of our commitment to social value, and we encourage contracting authorities to use them in public procurement wherever appropriate.

Department for Exiting the European Union

Department for Exiting the European Union: Public Consultation

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, how many consultations by his Department (a) are open, (b) are closed awaiting a Government response and (c) have been initiated since 2016.

Chris Heaton-Harris: All public government consultations are uploaded onto GOV.UK where people can filter consultations by criteria, including department, official document status and date of publication.

Eurostat

Ronnie Cowan: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, whether the UK will (a) work with and (b) provide funding to Eurostat after the implementation period or in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

Chris Heaton-Harris: Under the terms of the Withdrawal Agreement the UK Government will continue to work closely with and contribute data to Eurostat during the Implementation Period. The nature of the statistical relationship we have with the EU beyond the Implementation Period will be decided as part of the future relationship negotiations.

Voting Rights: British Nationals Abroad

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, pursuant to the Answer of 22 February 2019 to Question 221547, on Voting Rights; EU Nationals,which EU member states have yet to confirm reciprocal voting rights for UK citizens residing in their respective state in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

Mr Robin Walker: The UK pushed for reciprocal rights to stand and vote in local elections in negotiations on citizens’ rights but they will not form part of the Withdrawal Agreement. Instead we are pursuing bilateral agreements with individual Member States where possible, to apply in a deal or no deal scenario. We are pleased to have secured the first such bilateral agreement on local voting rights with Spain in January and we are continuing our discussions with other Member States.

Common Travel Area

Conor McGinn: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, pursuant to the Answer of 19 June 2018 to Question 153188 on Common Travel Area, what further areas of reciprocal rights will be included within the Common Travel area in addition to the six areas listed in that Answer.

Mr Robin Walker: The UK Government is firmly committed to maintaining the Common Travel Area (CTA), ensuring that UK and Irish nationals continue to have the same reciprocal rights when in each other’s state as they do now.As noted in the answer to the question 153188 of 19 June 2018 on Common Travel Area, these reciprocal rights include:● the right to enter and reside in each others’ state without being subject to a requirement to obtain permission; ● the right to work without being subject to a requirement to obtain permission; ● the right to study; ● access to social welfare entitlements and benefits, including pensions; ● access to health services; and ● the right to vote in local and parliamentary elections.Further information can also be found on the CTA section of gov.uk.

Department for Exiting the European Union: Chief Scientific Advisers

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, how many meetings he held with his Department’s Chief Scientific Adviser between 1 December 2018 and 28 February 2019.

Chris Heaton-Harris: Between 1 December 2018 and 28 February 2019, the Secretary of State met with Chris Jones, Chief Scientific Adviser at DExEU, on two occasions. It should be noted that this is a dual role for Chris Jones, and is combined with his position as the Director of Justice, Security and Migration.

Treasury

Crowdfunding

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the competitiveness of the UK peer-to-peer lending sector compared to (a) the US, (b) China and (c) the rest of the world.

John Glen: The Government has introduced a robust and proportionate regulatory regime for peer-to-peer (P2P) lending, balancing the need for consumer protection with allowing the sector to grow, innovate and provide competition in the lending market. The British Business Bank’s Small Business Finance Markets 2018/19 report sets out that P2P business lending increased to nearly £2.3bn in 2018, and assesses the P2P business lending markets in the UK, the USA and China. The report notes that the increased regulation in the P2P market in the UK has been mostly seen as positive, in contrast to China where regulators were slow to address the sector, leading to opportunities for fraudulent activity. The UK has been independently ranked by EY and Deloitte as the world’s leading hub for Fintech – the best place in the world to start and grow a Fintech firm. The Government is committed to ensuring that it remains the best place in the world for Fintech, and has set out how it intends to do that in the ambitious Fintech Sector Strategy, launched in March 2018.

Medical Treatments: Tax Allowances

Martin Vickers: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to EIM21774 of the Employment Income Manual, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the tax exemption for employer-funded medical treatment; and what estimate he has made of the (a) cost to the public purse of implementing that exemption, (b) savings accrued to the public purse of the use of that exemption and (c) amount that has been claimed by employers under that exemption since its introduction.

Martin Vickers: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussion he has had with the Secretary of State for (a) Work and Pensions and (b) Health and Social Care on reform of the tax exemption for employer-funded medical treatment.

Martin Vickers: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has any plans to amend the Income Tax (Recommended Medical Treatment) Regulations 2014 to incentivise employers to support staff returning to work after a period of sickness absence; and what assessment he has made of the effect of the 28 consecutive day qualifying period on the number of staff returning to work.

Mel Stride: Employers normally incur expenditure on employee healthcare for a business purpose and can deduct this when calculating the employer’s own taxable profits.However, from 1 January 2015, the Government also exempted any benefit in kind or payment of earnings, up to an annual cap of £500 per employee, from a charge to income tax when an employer meets the cost of recommended medical treatment. There is also a corresponding National Insurance contributions disregard.Medical treatment is recommended where it is provided in accordance with a recommendation from an occupational health service in order to help an employee return to work after a period of absence due to ill-health or injury. The 28 consecutive day qualifying period makes sure that the tax exemption is targeted at those cases in greatest need of support. Evidence showed that sickness absence cases lasting four weeks or longer were at the greatest risk of turning into long term cases.The Government ensured that this exemption would be easy to understand and administer, so employers do not need to inform HMRC about payments for treatments covered by the £500 per employee per year limit. This means that information is not available to assess the direct impact of the exemption. However, the Government estimated in 2014 that employees working for approximately 10,000 businesses each year would benefit and Table 2.2 of Budget 2014 set out the expected cost to the Exchequer of £20 million per annum by 2018-19.The Government keeps all taxes under review.

Tax Avoidance

Andrea Jenkyns: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many promoters of loan schemes relating to the loan charge 2019 have been prosecuted.

Andrea Jenkyns: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people have been convicted of offences relating to arrangements which have been promoted and marketed as tax avoidance schemes and sentenced to over 95 years custodial in relation to the promotion of loan schemes.

Mel Stride: This Government is committed to tackling avoidance in all its guises. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has a suite of powers to tackle and challenge those who promote or otherwise enable tax avoidance and HMRC is using its powers to challenge major promoters of avoidance schemes, including disguised remuneration (DR) avoidance schemes. In recent years, HMRC has been investigating over 100 promoters and others involved in avoidance, including disguised remuneration arrangements. In the last couple of years, HMRC has also taken litigation action against 6 scheme promoters for failure to disclose under the Disclosure of Tax Avoidance Schemes (DOTAS) regime, with others deciding to disclose to avoid litigation. Further cases will be litigated in the year ahead. HMRC has used its powers under the Promoters of Tax Avoidance Schemes (POTAS) legislation to challenge promoters and made three successful complaints to the Advertising Standards Authority about misleading advertising; two of which relate to disguised remuneration schemes. HMRC considers criminal investigation and referrals to prosecuting authorities where appropriate. Since the formation of HMRC’s Fraud Investigation Service on 1 April 2016, more than 20 individuals have been convicted for offences relating to arrangements which have been promoted and marketed as tax avoidance schemes, resulting in over 100 years custodial and more than 7 years suspended sentences being ordered overall. Additional matters are the subject of ongoing enquiries.

Tax Avoidance

Andrea Jenkyns: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, in how many companies involved in loan charges has the (a) employer and employee been a single individual and (b) scheme promoter been the employer.

Mel Stride: This information is not available as the charge on outstanding disguised remuneration (DR) loan balances does not come into force until 5 April 2019. DR schemes are contrived arrangements that pay loans in place of ordinary remuneration, with the sole purpose of avoiding income tax and National Insurance contributions. The loans are provided on terms that mean they are not repaid in practice, so they are no different to normal income and are, and always have been, taxable. The Government estimates that around 75% of tax resulting from the loan charge will be paid by employers rather than individuals. Since the DR loan charge was announced, HMRC has agreed around 6,000 settlements of DR scheme use with employers and individuals, worth over £1 billion. So far, around 85% of tax secured has come from employers, and less than 15% from individuals.

Social Services: Children

Giles Watling: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to paragraph 5.16 of Budget 2018, what proportion of the £410 million for adult and children's social care will be allocated to children’s social care.

Elizabeth Truss: Autumn Budget 2018 provided a further £410 million in 2019-20 for adults and children’s social care. Where necessary, local councils should use this funding to ensure that adult social care pressures do not create additional demand on the NHS. Local councils can also use it to improve their social care offer for older people, people with disabilities and children.

Public Expenditure

Teresa Pearce: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the relationship between reductions in funding for children’s services and associated costs for (a) schools, (b) the police and (c) the NHS.

Elizabeth Truss: Local authorities have access to over £200bn to deliver services, including children’s services, between 2015 and 2020. Local government core spending power will increase in real terms next year.At Budget 2018 we announced an additional £410m next year for adults and children’s social care, and £84m to support local authorities to expand programmes for children and families that have shown reduced costs to the police and the NHS.We expect local authorities to continue to work closely with partner agencies to support and protect children in their area.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Gambling and Video Games

Laura Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what plans his Department has to tackle issues arising from a potential convergence between gaming and gambling.

Laura Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the effect of (a) of the increased use  loot boxes in and (b) other aspects of video games on levels of gambling.

Laura Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what plans he has to increase awareness among parents of the potential for some video games to encourage gambling behaviour in children.

Laura Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions he has had with the Gambling Commission on (a) the use of loot boxes in video games and (b) concerns that those features encourage gambling behaviour.

Laura Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions he has had with the video games sector on concerns about the convergence of gaming and gambling.

Mims Davies: The Gambling Commission, as the regulator for gambling in Great Britain, has strong powers and can take action where it needs to address emerging risks. We meet regularly with the Gambling Commission and the games industry to discuss a range of issues including concerns around the potential for convergence between gambling and video games. Loot boxes do not fall under gambling law where the in-game items acquired are confined for use within the game and cannot be cashed out. However, the Government is aware of concerns that loot boxes and other entertainment products, such as some video games, could encourage gambling-like behaviour or participation in gambling and in the longer term lead to gambling related harm. Our assessment to date is that, while participation rates in gambling are stable, we will continue to look closely at any new evidence around these issues, and in particular where there is evidence of harm. In addition, the Gambling Commission, along with 15 other regulators from Europe and the USA, have agreed to work together to monitor the characteristics of video games and social gaming and where there is potential cross-over into gambling. They will also work to raise parental and consumer awareness.

Internet: Safety

Laura Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, when he plans to publish his White Paper on online harms.

Laura Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether he plans to include policies to protect children from video game features that encourage gambling behaviour in his White Paper on online harms.

Margot James: The Online Harms White Paper will be published shortly and will set out a range of legislative and non-legislative measures to tackle a range of online harms. DCMS continues to work closely with the games industry and organisations including the Gambling Commission, to improve safety in games and promote healthy and responsible video gaming.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: Brexit

Brendan O'Hara: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many members of staff in his Department are working full-time on preparation for an adequacy assessment by the European Commission following the UK's withdrawal from the EU.

Margot James: I refer the Hon member to the answer given to PQ 218152 from 20th February.

Technology: Data Protection

Mr David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that large technology companies are complying with regulations on personal data.

Margot James: The Data Protection Act 2018 poses strict obligations on organisations to ensure that UK citizens’ data is processed safely and securely. Organisations which fail to comply with the new legislation may be investigated by the Information Commissioner’s Office and subject to increased fines. It is essential that people are confident their personal data will be protected and used in an appropriate way. The Data Protection Act 2018 and the GDPR is in place to ensure that companies who collect and use data do so appropriately with an appropriate legal basis.

Women and Equalities

Equal Pay

Dawn Butler: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that the Government portal for gender pay gap reporting contains accurate and up to date information.

Victoria Atkins: It is an employer’s legal responsibility to ensure that they report on time and that their figures are accurate. The vast majority of the over 10,500 that reported last year have completed the calculations correctly. In 2018, the Equality and Human Rights Commission commenced enforcement action against 100 employers suspected of publishing inaccurate gender pay gap figures. The EHRC enforcement found that they were a result of errors, rather than a deliberate attempt to mislead. They have worked closely with employers to identify and correct errors. All of whom have now either verified their figures or identified and corrected calculation errors.